1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to infant caregiver torso cover and in particular to a padded cushion with a shoulder strap that shifts from a first position in use to cover and provide shape conforming padding to a front upper torso and shoulder of a caregiver holding an infant and folds in half and shifts back to a second position onto the back of the caregiver when not in use to provide unimpeded normal daily activity and intermittent frequent protection of an infant's head and a caregiver's clothing and body while holding an infant.
2. Description of Related Art Including Information Disclosed Under 37 CFR 1.97 and 1.98
A common way for an adult caregiver for an infant to carry a baby is to cradle the baby in one arm or both arms, so that the baby's head is resting on one of the adult's shoulders. However, the infant's head bobs away from and toward the body of the caregiver and the infant's head may bang against the caregiver's body hitting the caregiver's collar bone or shoulder bones or chest bones causing pain and possible injury to the infant. Furthermore, the infant may drool onto the caregiver. In various caregiving operations and daily activities, the infant may be laid down and picked up many times and often in short intervals, so that any protective padding for the infant should be able to be moved and set in place rapidly to accommodate the constant intermittent need for the protective padding. While there have been a number of devices for covering a caregiver's clothing to protect the clothing, very few are padded to protect the head of the infant from banging against the caregiver and none of the prior art devices adequately address these problem of frequent intermittent use of a padded device to protect an infant's head as well as the clothing and body of the caregiver.
Prior art U.S. Patent application #20050066405, published Mar. 31, 2005 by Babiak, provides a cushioned torso covering for an adult/parent/babysitter to wear while rocking, burping, feeding, and holding an infant. It is filled/padded and is fastened around the back of the neck, can be tightened around the waist for the right fit, and covers the entire front torso and front/back of shoulders. The entire front of the covering is filled/padded (pillow like qualities) to provide comfort and protection for both the infant and the adult. The infant is protected from zippers, snaps, buttons, jewelry, collar bones, dirty clothing and is comforted by the feel of the padding. The adult wearing this product is further protected from spit up and is more comfortable while holding the infant.
Prior art U.S. Pat. No. 5,709,000, issued Jan. 20, 1998 to Hansen et al, provides a combination baby pillow and drool guard that includes a shell stuffed with soft batting. A hole is arranged on the pad, so that it may be worn around the neck of the adult. The pad covers the shoulders and upper chest area of the adult to cushion the baby's head, and to protect the adult's clothing from the baby's drool. In a first embodiment, a pair of straps connect the opposite ends of the pad together when worn. In a second embodiment, a releasable joint extends between the hole and an edge of the pad for facilitating donning and removal. In a third embodiment, the pad includes a pair of wings extending from the sides for providing extra coverage on the adult's shoulders.
Prior art U.S. Pat. No. 7,316,035, issued Jan. 8, 2008 to Archambault, describes a multi-purpose burp cloth which allows parents or care-givers to perform other activities while feeding his or her baby by bottle that also acts as a baby diaper changing pad and pacifier holder. The burp cloth has a front side and a back side that are attached to one another by stitching. A pillow is located at an upper portion of the burp cloth and a clip is located just below the pillow on the front component while a strap is attached to the front side. To use the cloth, the user simply wraps the strap around the bottle and attaches the fastening means on a strap outer surface to a fastening means located on a strap inner surface. An alternate embodiment includes an adjuster located on a strap pair wherein the user feeds the end portion of the strap through the adjuster and pulls the strap so as to make the strap tight against the bottle. To use the cloth as a baby diaper changing pad, the user simply flips the cloth so that the back side is face up, places the baby's head onto the pillow and changes the diaper. The user may then wipe the back side with a disinfecting wipe to kill the germs.
Prior art U.S. Pat. No. 2,831,193, issued Apr. 22, 1958 to Terry, discloses a garment for use in the care of infants having a front and back panel over one shoulder of the parent with a strap around the torso of the user. The garment includes some padded portions.
Prior art U.S. Pat. No. 7,082,617, issued Aug. 1, 2006 to Poindexter et al, shows a protective garment, much like a bib having an outer surface and inner surface for disposition over a user's clothes. The bib comprises, a back panel having an upper and a lower edge, a pair of shoulder panels extending from the upper edge of the back panel, each shoulder panel having a medial end and a lateral end, a neck opening having a peripheral border defined by the upper edge of the back panel and respective medial ends of said shoulder panels, two chest panels, each having a medial and lateral side, depending from an associated shoulder panel in laterally spaced apart relation to one another, thereby defining a generally longitudinal opening therebetween, a fastener associated with at least one of the medial sides of the chest panels for releasably joining the chest panels together in overlapping fashion so that said generally longitudinal opening is closed releasably.
Prior art U.S. Pat. No. 5,950,235, issued Sep. 14, 1999 to Tata, claims a protective garment for use by an adult with an infant comprises a body portion, a neck opening portion and a fastener. A protective drape for an adult feeding a child has a soft top layer and a bottom layer with an impervious ply and a soft material ply and has a neck opening and a hook and loop fastener. The body portion comprises a first and second edge connecting to form a non-zero angle with respect to each other. The neck opening portion forms an opening in the body portion with the neck opening portion being disposed opposite the non-zero angle of the body portion, such that a line bisecting the non-zero angle to the closest point of the neck opening portion passes through the center of the neck opening portion and forms an axis of symmetry for the body portion.
Prior art U.S. Pat. No. 7,048,160, issued May 23, 2006 to Anderson, indicates an infant feeding and entertainment support comprising a front panel and a rear panel detachably affixed thereto with the front panel alternatively adapted to include bottle feeding holder means, breast feeding veil means, burping cloth, as well as infant-oriented entertainment items.
Prior art U.S. Pat. No. 5,960,471, issued Oct. 5, 1999 to Burton, puts forth a protective garment for feeding, burping, nursing, and changing diapers of a baby, the garment having a main body member that may be secured about the neck and over the shoulders of a wearer, comprising an inner layer made from a waterproof material, such as vinyl, and an outer absorbent layer attached preferably on either side of the inner layer. The outer layer is made from soft material, such as cotton, fleece, flannel, or the like, which is suitable for soft contact with a baby's skin. A cloth member is removably attached to the front outer portion of the outer layer, and is used as a washcloth or napkin to clean a baby during or after feeding or burping. In the preferred embodiment, the front outer layer of the main body member includes a pair of pockets, having an elastic band about the top of the pockets for retaining baby bottles or other baby care items. The back outer layer contains a plurality of pockets on a bottom portion, and also includes a small pocket adjacent the neck area for containing a small musical device. Other features described herein include a lap pad, removably secured on the back outer layer, which can be folded down over the wearer's lap for changing diapers, glow in the dark designs on the front outer layer, VELCRO loops for holding teething rings, pacifiers, baby keys, and the like, and openings provided adjacent a female wearer's breasts for providing access for a baby to the breast for nursing.
Prior art U.S. Pat. No. 2,955,293, issued Nov. 11, 1960 to Peterson, concerns a protective shoulder cover worn by an adult for feeding and burping infants having a front and back panel over one shoulder of the user. It includes an inner layer of foam padding, but the padding is intended to prevent the cover from slipping and may not necessarily be thick enough to soften a banging of an infant's head against the body of the adult.
Prior art U.S. Pat. No. 4,873,725, issued Oct. 17, 1989 to Mitchell, illustrates an apron-type garment for the use of parents of infants in which many of the necessities for child care are kept close at hand. Specialized pockets conveniently located on a front panel of the garment provide for the storage of milk bottles, bibs, diapers, baby powder, and the like. Made of a thick, quilted fabric, the garment not only is gentle against the child's skin but also absorbs moisture and thereby protects the wearer's clothes against their being soiled while the wearer is attending to the needs of the child. The body of the garment includes, in addition to the front panel, two rear panels each of which is about one-half as long as the front panel. Contiguous portions of the front and rear panels form a pair of flared sections covering the wearer's shoulders and extending laterally therefrom. These flared sections together with the lower portions of the rear panels cover the caregiver's back to her waist, thereby allowing her to let the child rest his head on her shoulder, even after a meal, without having to worry about clothes worn beneath this garment becoming soiled as the infant exercises a natural tendency to regurgitate.
What is needed is an easily movable padded infant head cushion to be worn by a caregiver and easily shifted behind onto the back of a user when not holding the infant and instantly shifted back to an upper torso and shoulder covering position when lifting and carrying the infant providing convenient constantly available protective padding for the infant while allowing a caregiver freedom of movement and activity when not holding the infant. The easily movable padded infant head cushion should be able to be moved and set in place rapidly to accommodate frequent intermittent use of the padded device to protect an infant's head as well as the clothing and body of the caregiver.